To check on the different programs implemented by the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in Aqaba, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited the Queen Rania Al Abdullah Center for Community Empowerment (QRCCE) and the Khawla bint Al Azwar School for Girls. At QRCCE, Director of JRF, Ghaleb Al Qudah, briefed Queen Rania on the center’s achievements since it was launched by Her Majesty in 2011 to work as a community hub that provides the area with integrated and holistic services aiming to reduce poverty and unemployment rates, and combat child abuse by strengthening the family unit. Al Qudah also talked about the center’s future plans which were specially designed to address the needs and priorities of the area. QRCCE director, Hassan Tawara, delivered a detailed presentation about the center’s achievements and some current projects it’s implementing. The queen toured the center which provides services to children, youth, and women of all ages. She first stopped to listen to a musical performance by a group of children using the local traditional Semsemieh instrument. QRCCE works with this group to preserve the cultural heritage of Aqaba by playing the semsemieh. At QRCCE’s computer lab, Her Majesty chatted with a group of women taking part in a workshop about safe internet surfing so they can better monitor their children’s use of the web. Queen Rania also met with a group of youth who participated in JRF’s Youth Leadership Program in 2012 and 2013, as well as participants in the Youth Career Initiative which JRF started in Aqaba last year. Her Majesty also attended part of a session from the Poverty Pockets III – Capacity Building Program that aims to encourage decentralization and improve the skills of employees working in local development units. This session focused on the importance of voluntary work as well as building better communication channels with communities in poverty pocket areas to better understand their needs and in turn improve the type and level of the services they provide. In the session, which was attended by several institutions that work with JRF as well as a number of the foundation’s sponsors like Aqaba Development Corporation, ASEZA, and Al Maabar Jordan Investments Company, Her Majesty highlighted the importance of holding such meetings and workshops to strengthen the partnerships and cooperation between entities that work in development. Her Majesty then visited the Khawla bint Al Azwar School for Girls in the old city of Aqaba where she checked on the Safe School project implemented by JRF in partnership with Aqaba Development Corporation and ASEZA to create a safe school environment for students and teachers. Accompanied by the school principal, Mai Farhat, Queen Rania toured the school and stopped to check out the science lab and the entertaining knowledge room. Her Majesty was briefed on the work done in both rooms. The Safe School project has been implemented in four main schools in Aqaba and has so far benefited 336 teachers, 12 principals and counselors, 4496 students and 941 women from the local community. This year the program will start working with an additional four schools in the area.